Clin Med
-
Decisions about percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) can be clinically and ethically challenging, particularly when patients lack decision-making capacity. As the age of the UK population rises, with the associated increase in prevalence of dementias and neurodegenerative diseases, it is becoming an increasingly important issue for clinicians. The recent review and subsequent withdrawal of the Liverpool Care Pathway highlighted feeding as a particular area of concern. ⋯ The second largest group was those who had had a stroke or brain haemorrhage (13%). Twenty-eight per cent of patients had no, or uncertain, decision-making capacity on at least one occasion during decision-making. There are reflections on the role of a multidisciplinary team in the process of decision-making for these complex patients.
-
The clotting screen is an 'integral' part of the routine blood tests in most medical wards. It is likely that only with the increasing requests for prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time are abnormal results noted. ⋯ Due to variable understanding of this complex system, many misconceptions have arisen in relation to the clinical effects expected from abnormal clotting screens. Some of these are discussed with considerations of appropriate management in those situations.
-
There is increasing recognition that type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) acquired in childhood and adolescence requires a sophisticated approach that facilitates better self-management through adherence to generic principles in managing chronic disease in this age group, allied to the complex clinical needs of managing T1DM and related conditions. Transitional care should be seen as a process over time supported by both paediatric and adult diabetologists within a multidisciplinary team, given the complementary skills that can be brought to bear. ⋯ Traditional clinical models will often not work for those in employment and higher education, with evidence that ongoing engagement following transfer to adult services often ceases. The alarming evidence of progressive complications in T1DM of longer duration in patients under the age of 40 years is a wake-up call to transform the care of this most vulnerable group.
-
Biography Historical Article
Axel Munthe and the story of San Michele: the perils of being a 'fashionable' doctor.